An exploration in the history of biopolitics, "The Early American Table" offers a unique study of the ways in which English colonists in North America incorporated the "you are what you eat" philosophy into their conception of themselves and their proper place in society. Eden aptly demonstrates that ideas about the body - ideas which may seem irrelevant or even laughable today - not only guided day-to-day personal behavior but also influenced society and politics.According to the 17th- and 18th-century understanding of the ...
Read More
An exploration in the history of biopolitics, "The Early American Table" offers a unique study of the ways in which English colonists in North America incorporated the "you are what you eat" philosophy into their conception of themselves and their proper place in society. Eden aptly demonstrates that ideas about the body - ideas which may seem irrelevant or even laughable today - not only guided day-to-day personal behavior but also influenced society and politics.According to the 17th- and 18th-century understanding of the body, food affected the blood, bones, mind, and spirit in ways other social markers (e.g. clothes, manners, speech) did not because food was directly assimilated by the consumer. A plentiful, varied diet of high-quality refined foods created virtuous, refined individuals fit to govern society. In contrast, a more restricted diet of poor quality, coarse foods made an individual coarse, even beastly, and unfit to lead. In the Old World, especially before 1600, poverty, legal restrictions, and the scarcity of land prohibited most individuals from purchasing or raising foods believed to produce refinement and virtue. Only the wealthy were able to enjoy such a diet. In turn, this elite diet marked their social status and reaffirmed their entitlement to power.The Englishmen and women who colonized North America throughout the colonial period held this idea that diet shaped character. After only a few decades of settlement, many of them enjoyed the unprecedented prosperity enabled by the fertile environment. Lower and middling families could set their tables with a greater variety and higher quality of food than their social counterparts in England. As a result, in contrast to England where an aristocrat's dinner was far different than a laborer's, in America, the differences between the diets of artisans and urban laborers, of plantation owners and small farmers, were not as great. In short, the American diet was a democratic diet that had social and political consequences. Readers interested in biopolitics, the history of science and medicine, social history, food studies, early American history, British history, and colonial studies will enjoy this delightful study.
Read Less
Add this copy of The Early American Table: Food and Society in the New to cart. $13.92, good condition, Sold by Blue Vase Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Interlochen, MI, UNITED STATES, published 2008 by Northern Illinois University Press.
Add this copy of The Early American Table to cart. $48.72, new condition, Sold by Ingram Customer Returns Center rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from NV, USA, published 2008 by Northern Illinois University Press.
Add this copy of The Early American Table: Food and Society in the New to cart. $38.16, new condition, Sold by EB-Books LLC rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Rockford, IL, UNITED STATES, published 2008 by Northern Illinois University Press.
Add this copy of The Early American Table: Food and Society in the New to cart. $43.43, good condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Newport Coast, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2008 by Northern Illinois University P.
Add this copy of The Early American Table to cart. $52.65, new condition, Sold by GreatBookPrices rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Columbia, MD, UNITED STATES, published 2008 by Northern Illinois University Press.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
New. Glued binding. Paper over boards. With dust jacket. 204 p. Contains: Illustrations, black & white. In Stock. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Brand New, Perfect Condition, allow 4-14 business days for standard shipping. To Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. protectorate, P.O. box, and APO/FPO addresses allow 4-28 business days for Standard shipping. No expedited shipping. All orders placed with expedited shipping will be cancelled. Over 3, 000, 000 happy customers.
Add this copy of The Early American Table to cart. $52.65, like new condition, Sold by GreatBookPrices rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Columbia, MD, UNITED STATES, published 2008 by Northern Illinois University Press.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Fine. Glued binding. Paper over boards. With dust jacket. 204 p. Contains: Illustrations, black & white. In Stock. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Brand New, Perfect Condition, allow 4-14 business days for standard shipping. To Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. protectorate, P.O. box, and APO/FPO addresses allow 4-28 business days for Standard shipping. No expedited shipping. All orders placed with expedited shipping will be cancelled. Over 3, 000, 000 happy customers.
Add this copy of The Early American Table: Food and Society in the New to cart. $99.51, new condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Newport Coast, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2008 by Northern Illinois University P.
